My Quick take: After watching the trailer for Happiest Season, I was elated to finally see a holiday movie centered around a lesbian/queer couple. Unfortunately, even though it featured some lovable actors, I thought the plot entirely missed the mark and I was incredibly disappointed.
Synopsis: Abby (Kristen Stewart) plans to celebrate Christmas with her girlfriend, Harper’s (Mackenzie Davis), family for the first time. Abby is even secretly planning to propose to Harper during the holiday festivities. When Abby learns that Harper has not yet come out to her conservative parents and has hidden their relationship from her entire family, she begins to question the girlfriend she thought she knew and the love she thought they shared.
Representation: This film focuses more on homophobia, secrecy, and heteronormativity than the love between the two female characters. In fact, Harper (Mackenzie Davis) even pretends to be dating her ex-boyfriend in order to keep Abby (Kristen Stewart) a secret from her family. This form of representation can leave lesbian and queer women feeling ashamed or as though their identities are invalid. It can also fuel the idea that these identities are “phases” and are not to be respected by society. Additionally, these representations make it difficult for those in the community to envision a happy and hopeful future.
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